Harry Potter and the Lost Brother
by lordturtleham
Summary: What if Lily Potter, mother to the Boy-Who-Lived, was alive? After being spared in Godric's Hollow, she hides in muggle England as a normal woman. She gives birth to a healthy young boy who carries in her likeness, but when he receives a familiar letter to the school Lily had missed so dearly, what will she think when she's thrown back into a world that she wanted to forget?
1. Chapter 1

What if Lily Potter had survived the attack in Godric's Hollow? What if Voldemort hadn't killed her, and instead, he spared her, as per request of one of his most loyal followers. Well, at the time, after her husband had been killed, dear Lily had made a decision; that she was done with magic. Although she had loved Hogwarts, and the perks of magic, she needed to go into hiding, so she would not be targeted again.

Why James? Why couldn't Voldemort have killed her instead and spared James? Guilt plagued her throughout her dreams, and the thought of her husband, lying on the cold ground of what was once her home, gave her nightmares. They were both so young to have had a brush with death. Lily Potter, only 21 years old, had become a widow.

She was pregnant, when Voldemort attacked, and after losing James at Godric's Hollow, she moved to a muggle community near Cokeworth, where she had grown up. Without James or her Auror status, she found it hard to make income in the muggle world, especially after she gave birth to a son, Finnian Christopher Evans. She had recently taken to living with her maiden name, as not to draw attention to herself; after all, Evans was a very common last name in muggle England. She missed James, so much, and her son was a reminder of the man she had lost so quickly. Although he shared most of her looks, fiery red hair, pale skin dotted with freckles, he had acquired James' hazel eyes that she cared for so much.

Today it was her son's 11th birthday. Finnian woke up extra early, nearly 6 o' clock, and as he went to get the post, a peculiar letter was addressed to the boy. Written in neat green cursive letters spelled out his name, address, and on the front of the envelope, was a red wax seal. Quickly, with a small smile on his face, he ran back into the house, clutching the other envelopes as his red hair brushed across his forehead.

"Mum, mum!" He squealed as the woman yawned and smiled, "Look, I got a letter!" Finnian waved the letter around as Lily smiled softly at her son.

"That's great, honey! Is it from one of your friends, or from your aunt?" She asked. Her eyes flashed for a second, as she laid eyes on the green ink of the letter. She sighed, "Oh… It's from there." Finnian gave a confused look to his mother.

"From where? Is it someplace bad?"

Lily shook her head, recalling James and her memories with him. "No no, it's just…. A school." Finnian pondered on this thought. _A school?_ He asked himself. _I'm already at a school…_ Carefully, Lily grabbed the letter, and broke the wax seal cautiously, as if it were to explode at any second. Hoping it was a cruel joke, she read the letter again, and again, and again. The writing never changed.

"What if," she began, looking seriously at her son, "I told you that magic was real?" Finnian laughed a bit, before quieting down and looking at his mother with wide eyes. "This. This is a letter to a boarding school," at the words boarding school Finnian cringed, "For people with magic powers. I'm not going to force you to go, but if you want to, just tell me."

Finnian thought to himself, _What if magic was real? It would explain a lot of what happened to me._ Just the other week Finnian had been cornered by a couple of school bullies, but when they went to grab his arms, sparks of electricity came out of him. What if it was real, and he could perform it? He could show those bullies who was boss, and finally not be the outcast. Perhaps his mother could do magic. After all, he could've sworn she had plants in her plant bed that shouldn't be able to grow in the winters of England.

After thinking it over for a second, he nodded. He nodded as he grabbed the strange school letter back from his mother's hands. He nodded slowly at first, but as a wide grin split across his mother's pale face, he knew he had made the right choice, and he couldn't help but smile along with her.

(A/N: Well, hey! I decided to make a story after reading something about how Lily was pregnant when she was killed and thought, what if she wasn't killed? I'm going to make this as canon as I can while still being as original as it can be! Since I haven't read anything like this, I took matters into my own hands.)

(A/N 2: ALSO I AM NOT JK ROWLING, I OWN NOTHING BUT MY ORIGINAL CHARACTER, FINNIAN)


	2. Chapter 2

Lily hadn't planned on leaving her only son at the time. Rather, she had a panic attack when James had been killed, and quickly fled her house, as tears threatened to spill from her emerald eyes. For a while she had lived with her parents as she got a muggle job, and eventually she forgot about her other son, and her other life, as the wife of James Potter.

It was only when she had read the newspaper, not the usual Daily Prophet mind you, when she had been reminded of her son, Harry. She hadn't meant to leave the poor boy alone, but in the spur of the moment, she was afraid. In fact, she hadn't even checked if her oldest son was alright. What it Voldemort had killed him like he killed James? The thought left her hollow inside. Either way, she had nowhere to go, and she had nearly given up on life as is. The guilt beared farther down on her as she had her second child, as memories of Harry had flooded her mind.

Lily had driven herself and Finnian to the Leaky Cauldron in London. Eager to escape the burning glances of the men in the dimly lit room, Lily had hurried to the back of the establishment.

Finnian sent a dazed look at his mother, slightly wary. "Mum? It's a dead end." She sighed again, brushing a lock of auburn hair from her eyes as she pulled out her wand. Honestly, it felt good to hold her wand again, after years of living low as a very small muggle family, it came as both a relief and a curse when her son had acquired that letter.

As she put her other, open hand on Finnian's shoulder, she tapped a few bricks on the back wall. The pair could hear a quiet rumbling as the bricks began to remove themselves, revealing a large entrance way. _Diagon Alley._ Lily's mind flashed with memories. Of James, bumping into her with a wide grin, the Marauders giving her small glances… And Severus. Of course she couldn't forget the boy- no man- who used to be her friend.

"Well Fin, we're here. This is Diagon Alley, a major shopping centre for wizards in England," Lily explained slowly to her son. As it was only March, the very day after Finnian's birthday, not many children were present, aside from the occasional witch or wizard that happened to bring along their young son or daughter for a shopping trip.

Paging through the letter again, Lily picked out the school supplies Finnian would need for his first year of Hogwarts. Luckily for the small family, the supply fees were the only ones they needed to pay, as Hogwarts' tuition was fully paid for by the Ministry.

"Please mum, can I get my wand first please?" Finnian begged, desperately clinging to his mother's muggle hoodie. Shaking her head and smiling, she pulled her son into closeby bookshop, as she began to skim the bookshelves for the needed texts.

There the two went, going shop by shop until they stepped into a shop with large glass windows that reached into the sky. "Now Fin," Lily began, "I will allow you to get an owl, just so you can communicate with me without having to go up to the owlry." She paused, and smiled, "Because I'm going to make you write every day from Hogwarts!" She brought her son into her arms and Finnian shrieked.

"Mum! Cut it out!"

Finnian stepped into the menagerie first, looking in awe of all the eyes of various magical pets.

"Hello dears!" An elderly witch said with a small smile on her face. "How may I help you?" Lily had stepped in front of her son.

"We're looking for an owl. It's my son's first year at Hogwarts and I want him to have some means of communication." The witch behind the counter smiled wider, as she raised her arms, as she gestured to the cages that crowded the walls, filled with hooting owls of various colours.

Finnian took one look at all the owls in the cages, and found the one that he knew he was going to get. She was a majestic brown tawny owl with white wings that were speckled with black. Her eyes were a curious hazel, not unlike his own, and the owl held an air of confidence. The two locked gazes, as the owl opened her own cage and flew down onto his head.

With one look the menagerie witch totaled the cost of the owl, 10 galleons in total. Lily had exchanged her muggle money for wizarding money before going to Diagon Alley of course, and she pulled the golden coins out of her purse. As she paid, the menagerie witch gave her another small smile and thanked the two, as they exited the animal menagerie. A breath of fresh air was welcomed to the duo, as they stepped into the crisp spring air of London. Now, the only the mother and son pair needed to get, much to Finnian's anticipation, was his wand.

(A/N: This one is kinda to explain some happenings, mostly at the beginning. Thanks to ZodiacsKlaroline and panther73110 for giving me ideas *although probably unintentionally* anyways, I'll try to update as often as I can, but I may forget because my memory is absolutely terrible)


	3. Chapter 3

Stepping into the ancient wand shop, Lily and Finnian saw a wizard behind the counter

who looked just as ancient as the shop itself. Dust covered the many boxes that covered the walls, as firelight danced from a lantern that hung close by. The man, whom Finnian figured was Ollivander, looked at Lily first, before looking gravely at Finnian.

Without a second glance, he began looking through the shelves, shuffling the boxes as he began to scale a ladder that teetered dangerously high. After grabbing a single wand box, Ollivander slid down the ladder, back to the dimly lit desk.

"Yes yes, I've been expecting you, boy." He stated with a gruff voice. Sliding the top of the box, Ollivander gave a nod. "Though it's very uncommon, the second I saw you and your mother walk into my shop, I knew the exact wand needed."

He handed the wand to Finnian, and right away, warmth spread through his fingers as golden sparks flew from the wand.

"Good, good. Yes, you see, this wand is of willow wood, unicorn hair core, 12 ¼ inches, rather bendy." He took the wand back and put it back into the box. "Yes, your wand, while not entirely peculiar, shares many features with your mother's" His eyes moved up to Lily's who shifted on her feet.

"Yes well," Lily cut the man off, "We'd best be going." She threw the coins at the man before quickly ushering her son out of the wand shop. The cobblestone street, despite the afternoon sun that hung in the sky, was dark due to the many old buildings that lined the streets.

Lily pushed her son through the Leaky Cauldron again, climbed into her muggle car, and drove back to their house.

(A/N: Sorry that this is so short, I just want to move along the story and I didn't want to spend more than 1 chapter in Diagon Alley as is...)


	4. Chapter 4

It was the day Finnian was to go to Hogwarts. Lily was mentally preparing herself for the potential of meeting one of her old school friends who had presumed she was dead. She worried rumors would be spread, as when she was even in Diagon Alley, she could've sworn she'd heard the hushed whispers of gossiping witches, although she couldn't be sure they were talking about her.

A knock at her bedroom door, and after it creaked open, she saw the face of the son she had taken instead of Harry. Finnian carefully entered her room, trailing the cage of his owl, whom he named Maestro, was his suitcase that was filled with muggle books, clothes, and a stash of candy he'd bought from a convenience store awhile back.

"Mum? I think we should go now." Excitement showed through his eyes, although he had tried to conceal it with a calmer facade. His mother nodded, as he began walking out of the room, and out of his home. Climbing into the car, he threw the trunk into the back of the car, carried Maestro's cage with him into the left side passenger seat.

The two rode in silence, as the both kept their eyes to the windshield. This wasn't uncommon. Despite being her son, Finnian was never very fond of conversation, especially small talk that simply didn't matter at all. He found it rather tedious to have to listen to someone babble on about nothing at all, and his mother couldn't help but agree.

Kings Cross Station was a fair ways away from the suburbs of Cokeworth, so by the time they had arrived, Finnian was almost asleep. He groggily got out of the car, his mother leading the way to platforms 9 and 10.

"Mum, there isn't a platform 9 ¾ here," Finnian said, glancing around himself when the muggles stared and pointed at his owl cage. Lily just smiled as she went to the brick wall in between 9 and 10. She ran into the wall and Finnian looked in horror, as she hadn't hit the wall like he was anticipating. Instead, she phased through the wall almost. Finnian took a deep breath, before pushing his belongings through the wall.

The only way Finnian could explain such a strange feeling was walking through a container of solid jelly (Jell-o for Americans). Finally, he was through the strange wall completely, and what Finnian saw would stay with him forever. A beautiful old-fashioned steam engine with ruby coloured paint that was suddenly stopped by shining black.

The steam train whistled, just when Finnian met with his mother again. "Now Fin, I want you to owl me every week and don't-" His mother was cut off when he suddenly hugged her and kissed her on the cheek before dashing to the entrance of the scarlet train.

"Yeah yeah, I'll owl you often mum! Love you, bye!"

(A/N: Ah, once again a very short chapter. I just started up school again, and I just don't really have the time. I'll try to update again soon, but I really should be doing my homework. Sorry!)


	5. Chapter 5

Finnian quickly found a compartment that wasn't filled with students. In the compartment sat a boy with dark hair holding a toad, a girl who had hair similar to his own, and a blonde girl with a distant look in her eyes and her wand tucked behind her ear.

"Uh, can I sit here?" Finnian asked lamely, glancing at the strange assortment of students who had stopped their conversation when the door slid open/.

The blonde girl brightened considerably as she nodded, scooting to the side whilst patting the spot next to her. "Of course! Just watch out for the nargles, they follow me around a lot." Finnian wanted to give her a look, but the girl already seemed so happy, he didn't want to let her down.

"I'm Luna Lovegood, it's nice to meet you," She said, giving him a small smile.

"Finnian Evans."

Looking to the other students in the compartment, the boy with the toad spoke up. "I'm Neville Longbottom, and this is Trevor" He held his toad up to Finnian who pet it's head cautiously. Finnian took the seat next to Luna.

A sudden intrusion from a blond boy, presumably older than Finnian, strided nastily into the room. With a look at Finnian and the ginger girl, he gave a sneer. "Red hair, disheveled clothes, must be Weasleys."

While Ginny was staring at him in disbelief, Finnian only regarded him with a confused glance. "What's a Weasley?"

Draco gave a snort as he looked to Luna and Neville. "Oh you two. Longbottom, who's your little friend?" he jeered, staring down the poor boy.

"L-luna Lovegood…" he said warily.

"What was that? Looney Lovegood?" He chortled rudely, throwing his head back to take in more air.

"Stop that. Stop laughing at her," Finnian muttered quietly, silencing the blond boy.

"What, standing up for your girlfriend?" Finnian stood up, grabbing the boy by his pretentious robes and brought him close.

"You do not speak to my friends like that, understand?" The boy nodded, gulping as he struggled out of Finnian's grip. He dashed out of the train compartment, muttering something about 'mudbloods'

Finnian gave a huff. He had his share of bullies, and he absolutely loathed the creatures. The room's tention was cut when Luna gave Finnian a side hug, which he responded with awkwardly.

"Oh, well. I'm Ginny Weasley," The last girl smiled, holding out her hand. Finnian shook it just as the train began to move.

When the scarlet engine began it's journey with a whistle, an elderly witch who held a small smile that Finnian wouldn't trust, opened the compartment door. "Hello," she said, pushing her cart into the compartment, "Anything from the trolley?" Finnian turned out his clothes pockets only to find he never got any coins from his mother.

Seeing his distress, Luna reached over him to point at the colourful beans in a red and white box. "We'll get a box of these and two chocolate frogs please," She said airily, giving the trolley witch the money in exchange for the candies.

After handing him a chocolate frog, Luna smiled at Finnian who looked at her, flabbergasted. "You didn't have to buy me this you know," He stated lamely.

Luna gave him another smile before retorting, "Well if I didn't buy you that, then what sort of friend would I be?"

(A/N: Who do you think Finnian should end up with ((If he should at all))? I was thinking maybe Luna... I don't want it to be anyone like the Golden Trio as I want to keep this as cannon as I can (((I realize Luna is married to like Rolf Scamander but he isn't a major part of the story))) so yeah! Suggest away!)


	6. Chapter 6

The train ride was lively, with Luna commenting about the strange creatures her father would write about in "The Quibbler" Ginny would crack jokes, and Neville would tell stories about the year prior. Turns out Neville was actually a second year, the year above Luna, Ginny, and Finnian. Neville told them about the four houses, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor, and about all of the different professors who taught there.

"Well yeah," Neville said, "That boy that came in here, the blond one, was Draco Malfoy. A Slytherin boy. He's really into blood supremacy, but my grand mum says it's all rubbish really." He was more talking to Finnian, who had explained to the cabin mates that he knew nothing about the blood status. Luna was a half-blood, like Finnian, whilst Neville and Luna were both pure-bloods who didn't care for the traditional beliefs.

Finnian was absolutely sure he made the right choice sitting with these kids. They had created their own merry band of misfits; as Malfoy would've called them, the coward, the lunatic, the poor girl, and the newest addition, the hot head.

Eventually the train came to it's stop in Hogsmeade, and Neville went on his own way to carriages that anyone who wasn't a first year rode.

A tall man, Hagrid, Neville had told them, stood by dozens of boats that floated on a murky lake that was so dark, it barely reflected the light from the stars. "Firs' years! Firs' years o'er 'ere!" The man bellowed, brushing his arm out to the boats. "No more 'n four to a boat!" Luna, Ginny, Finnian, and a small boy clambered into a boat together.

"Hello there!" He grinned, "I'm Collin. Collin Creevey." He held out his hand for the three of them to shake, but when the boats pushed off, he immediately pushed it back on the boat to steady himself. Finnian was staring at the castle in awe. It looked like something out of a fairytale. Grand towers shone with warm lights, and a shining entrance awaited the awestruck children.

Heat radiated from the doors when the boats eventually finished their journey, and the new students were greeted with an older, strict looking witch. "Hello first years of Hogwarts," Her dialect was distinctly Scottish, "I am Professor McGonagall. Now we shall go to the Grand Hall where you will be sorted into your houses. There you will find the others you will be having classes with." And with that, she led them into the Great Hall.

Everything in the Hall was grand. The tables were long to accommodate the large student population, and the golden eagle podium at the front was decorated with candles. In fact, there were many floating candles that supplied light to the students. Looking up, Finnian found not a traditional ceiling, but a shimmering night's sky over top of him.

"When I call your name, you are to come up." McGonagall stated after, what Finnian could only assume was chanted, a song from a magical talking hat. She started from the top of the alphabet. "Maryann Abrahams" the list continued smoothly enough until she landed on Finnian's name. Her eyes clearly widened, and she brought her glasses down to squint at the paper. "Finnian Evans"

Finnian took a deep breath, and when he stepped forward, he could feel the eyes of someone glaring at him. He quickly made his way over to the tattered brown hat that was then placed on his hand. He heard a voice in his head.

"An Evans, huh? Would you happen to be related to Lily Evans, by chance?" It asked him.

Nodding slightly, Finnian responded, "Yes sir. She's my mum."

The hat chuckled, "No need to be formal boy. It's just surprising to see another Evans. Especially after…" It trailed off. Whispers, by then, had split across the hall, all among the lines of asking why it had taken so long. "Now what house to put you in? Certainly not Hufflepuff, sorry about that. You have wit, though I don't think that's the right place for you… Then Slytherin or Gryffindor... "

Finnian gulped. From all that he'd heard, Slytherin was no place for a boy like him. "Gryffindor. I want to be in Gryffindor." He stated simply to the hat, who had perked up.

"Yes, voicing your opinion is rather bold." It raised it's voice louder and yelled out,

"GRYFFINDOR!" The house cheered loudly, as McGonagall took the hat from his head. He ran over to the ruby coloured table, sat next to Neville who patted him on the back. He continued to watch the sorting ceremony, cheering extra loud when Ginny had been sorted into Gryffindor with him. He was rather disappointed that Luna was a Ravenclaw, but he reasoned that he'd still be able to see her in school.

The Gryffindor prefects led them after the feast had been finished, but as he exited out of the Great Hall, he could still feel a pair of eyes, staring into the back of his head.

(A/N: Finally a longer update. So this story got 1000 views?! That's so cool, thank you so much! Tomorrow's actually my birthday, so I consider this an early birthday gift. Thanks!)


	7. Chapter 7

The Gryffindor common room was warmly lit, the walls painted in a beautiful scarlet, with golden trimmings. There was a fireplace, conveniently placed next to a circle of mismatched chairs and plush couches. A lone loveseat was placed in the corner. Then there was a single wooden banister that led up the stairs to what Finnian would assume was the girl's dorms.

The boy's dorms were a bit less whimsical, a spiral staircase leading up the main tower of Gryffindor Tower. Regardless, the entire room was absolutely marvelous. Being roomy enough as to not seem cramped, but homey and welcoming at the same time. There were a couple of talking paintings here and there, but not as many as in the corridors of the castle.

Finnian decided to retire early, heading up the spiral stairs leading to his dorm room. In the dorm, were four large beds, lined with maroon sheets and drapes. Each had a suitcase placed neatly on them. Finnian found his to the farthest right, nearest to the restroom. He took his clothes out, changed, and only then did he see Maestro sitting idly in her cage on the desk next to his bed. She was sound asleep.

Taking out a small bit of vegetable he'd snuck from the feast, he placed it quietly in her cage, careful not to wake her. He climbed into his bed, finding the bed sheets soft and silky, and the pillow light and feathery. Finnian fell asleep long before any of his room mates managed to get into the room, as he snored quietly, for he had a long day ahead of him.

(A/N: Very short chapter, I know, but I have a lot of homework to do at the moment, but I didn't want you guys to wait! Thanks for 9 Favourites and 14 Followers! It's really cool, thanks so much!)


	8. Chapter 8

The first day of school was always a major disappointment for Finnian. Throughout his years through primary school, Finnian had always been the target of bullying, whether it was because he had red hair, had a single mother, or his studious nature, he'd always been picked on. He was praying to whatever god or deity would listen that it wouldn't happen at this new school. After waking up, Finnian changed, combed his hair back, and left earlier than the others in his dorm room.

He walked out of the portrait, The Fat Lady, and conversed with the many paintings on his way to the Great Hall. The walk wasn't too far, not as close as the Hufflepuffs, but he certainly didn't struggle with the walk. The Great Hall was as grand as it was the night before, and he saw a couple of the teachers already perched at the head of the room. Few students were up, mostly Ravenclaws, but luckily Finnian found that Luna was among them.

He sat down next to the blonde girl, eyeing warily at the teachers, as he smiled at the barefoot girl. "Luna," Finnian said, "What happened to your shoes?" Looking down, Luna looked almost surprised.

"Huh. Funny, I just noticed myself. I suspect the nargles are up to something again." She replied. Nargles. What a funny word. Finnian made a mental note to ask one of the professors about them.

Among the few professors were Dumbledore, McGonagall, Vector, and Snape, whom he'd heard a couple of other Gryffindors ranting about. Dumbledore and McGonagall were quietly conversing, Vector was eating a waffle, and Snape was scoping out the small array of students that woke up the earliest.

His eyes stopped when they landed on Finnian.

(A/N:Oh my gosh, sorry for such a long delay between chapters… School's been frustrating, and the homework certainly isn't helping with my schedule. Thank you for those still sticking with this story, and THANK YOU FOR 2000 VIEWS/READS!)


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